Challenges, Plans, Predictions for 2009

This month (or should I say the year’s first) on The Learning Circuits blog the Big Question is “Challenges, Plans, and Predictions for 2009”

I’m a week behind writing my New Year’s message. My goal is to post at least once a week this year. Is this a sign that I’m already into the second week and have not posted and that I’ve failed? Or can I write two before next week to catch up so I don’t feel guilty? Challenge: This blog. Plans: Fulfill the goal to post once a week. Prediction: Looking back a year from and reflecting on this post…

I digress…

It is also fitting that since I’m in Memphis and today is Elvis’ birthday a shout out to the big guy wherever he is.

In retrospect, last year was a big challenge for me personally and professionally. This year’s challenges, plans, and predictions are always so clear this time of year as we usually have this renewed sense of newness. Ya’know…new year, new ideas, and such.

My attempt here is to point out challenges, plans, and predictions I’ll face professionally within my organization as well what I see in the industry.

Challenges:
Professionally – Our biggest challenge is being carried over from last year. We learned a great deal implementing an LMS for the first time into a large corporation with 50k+ users. There are still many environmental issues, technical challenges with the various network connections, and more importantly content development that is reusable and easy to manage and update. The more awareness and attention an LMS receives, the more demand the business requires of it. We’re at a crossroad where that demand has yet to prove a benefit, yet we have limited budget and set of skills to produce the content to show the appropriate ROI to increase the development team, thus supporting the increased demand. Whew!

Industry – As a whole the industry is going to be challenged as a byproduct of the economy. Budgets are being slimmed and with that the costs to upgrade, maintain, and purchase eLearning systems, tools, and content will be challenging for many companies. The challenge for training departments will be to prioritize what is really a need vs. a want and providers of systems, tools, and content will have to look at creative ways to continue to support the industry without pulling their own rugs out from underneath themselves.

Plans:
Professionally – Our plans for this year are to upgrade our LMS and tweak some of the existing functionality. With our system being on-line now for about a year, we have identified several areas that we can improve while other areas we ‘thought’ would be a benefit have proven not to work as well as originally planned. As for content, our plans are to carry on with what I would refer to as our biggest success last year by organizing our content and creating a library of templates and source material. To continue with that success, my plan is to compile everything into a media library similar to a content management system. I know, I know, you’re thinking “Why not just use a LCMS?” Well, that thought had occurred to me/us, but as indicated above our budget is trimmed as well. We bought a LMS with what we could afford and at this point we are not at a place to convert of upgrade to a full LCMS.

Industry – I don’t think I’m quite qualified to speak on how the industry is planning on facing the new year. I saw a lot of energy around rapid development tools and techniques last year and my assumption is that energy will carry over with companies leveraging how they can incorporate rapid development tools and techniques into their workflow.

Predictions:
Professionally – In a fast-paced retail environment we can predict sales trends and customer behaviors. However, because of that pace it’s rather difficult to predict the eLearning efforts. The LMS is the backbone of delivering eLearning (at least in our environment) and its acceptance among the enterprise will determine the pulse for more content. I predict by this time next year we’ll have more full and rich content as more and more users will see how beneficial eLearning can improve their knowledge and awareness.

Industry – Mobile learning was the big buzz this time last year. Where mobile technology works in one industry it doesn’t work in another. Web 2.0 technology has really taken off in the past year and social networking has become almost a normal collaborative vehicle. I predict more learning networks formed with smaller groups, like the Learning Town! and Work Literacy networks.

Thank ya, thank ya vury much!

5 Things I learned in 2008

The Learning Circuits Blog for December is titled, “What did you Learn about Learning in 2008? There’s about 10 days left and I’m still learning!

I learn something new everyday, however looking back at 2008, I broke my year down into 5 BIG things I learned this year:
1. Implementing an LMS
2. SCORM and eLearning Development
3. This blog
4. Getting connected!
5. Stretching beyond what I think I can achieve

1. This year was for the most part dedicated and focused on a Learning Management System. Our company implemented its first ever LMS! There is a plethora of decisions to make when deploying an enterprise-wide system such as this and I had no idea how much I had to learn in a very short time. I learned the administration of data is paramount to a successful system – hierarchy, legacy data, metrics, reports, etc. An LMS is as only good as the people who use it, and measuring activity and results play a key role in its success.

2. An LMS is just a fancy-schmancy piece of software if there is no content. I learned that just because I had some nifty web-based eLearning doesn’t mean it will work on the LMS. I had to take a crash course in SCORM and understand things like ‘LMS_initialize’ and ‘AICC_Lesson_Status’ and a whole new world of syntax. eLearning courses that actually communicate with an LMS was the real learning for me.

3. I attended two conferences this year. Both times I heard several times from general conference goers like myself to keynote speakers was to start a blog. Starting a blog will give you an outlet to get your thoughts, theories, concepts, etc. out of your head…and who knows, you may even get a reader or two. I learned that writing a blog is a huge commitment for it to thrive, although I’ve not been as consistent as I had initially hoped, I have at least one post per month. My re-commiment for ‘09 is one per week.

4. Getting connected = Web 2.0, period. Social networks, forums, blogs, twitting, tweeting, and whatever else I could explore. I’ve made so many new friends and relationships by simply joining on-line groups and organizations that it has opened my mind not only to the tremendous resource network, but how conversations with people all over the world can help formulate new ideas and concepts in your own projects.

5. Although I’ve been in the world of training for 25+ years in some capacity, my exposure to eLearning only goes back 5 years. For awhile I was so caught up in my own silo, that I couldn’t ’see’ beyond my own computer screen. Earlier this year I decided that stretching myself beyond what I think I can achieve is a new learning focus. Whether it be write a book, start a consulting business, freelance development work, or simply use the power of influencing skills to get Legal, HR, and IT open to the idea of new technologies in workforce learning. I learned if you properly present your ideas you may get more alignment and support than you originally had thought.

In summary, learning to learn is perishable. Every year about this time the I begin to think about New Year’s Resolutions. I never liked that phrase…a “resolution.” Something I must “resolve?” Why stop doing something and instead start something new? So every year I make three New Year’s “Revolutions.” What can I do new, what can I start, or what can I learn this next year?

I think my next post will be on New Year’s Revolutions…

The BIG Question – Learn to eLearn

This month’s ASTD Learn Circuits The Big Question refers to a recent post graduate of an Instructional Design program.  This student is seeking advice on how to build or author their first elearning and what tools to use.

So, the BIG question is: How do I learn to elearn?

As a developer of eLearning, it is a continous challenge to communicate a single message to a wide variety of learning styles.  Some learners comprehend by reading while others need more visuals, and yet others need hands-on or interactivity.  That’s too complex to get into for one’s very first eLearning course.

The tools available today are overwhelming for a seasoned developer let alone someone new to the industry.  I’m an avid user of all the latest tools with Lectora being the most recent.  With having a fundamental understanding of how to build a course, it still took me several weeks to ‘learn’ Lectora let alone getting Flash or Captivate movies to work properly.

I’ve outlined below a simple guide on how to begin:

1. IDEA – start with a simple idea of something you want to build as an elearning course. The thought of ’simple’ here is to stay linear.
2. PLAN – Write it down, storyboard it, outline it, edit, revise, etc. Put yourself IN that course and think through the flow of instruction. This will (should) be the majority of your time. Know the subject better than the learner!
3. PROTOTYPE – As mentioned the tools available are overwhelming at best. Start with PowerPoint. It has become the most popular rapid development tool and several of the mainstream elearning authoring tools can upload your slides (Articulate, Captivate).
4. TOOL – For the first-timers I would suggest downloading a trial version of either Articulate, Captivate, or other simple rapid development tools. They are very intuitive and in a matter of minutes you can publish a course. (provided you mapped it out and planned accordingly)

The above is only a guide as their are many variables involved. The next question is how do “YOU” learn? Do you learn by going to a class where an instructor teaches you the tool? Many small colleges and/or tech schools offer training in some of these tools. Tom Kuhlmann’s The Rapid eLearning Blog offers wonderful tips & tricks on how to use PowerPoint and Articulate.

Do you learn by reading books and/or web tutorials? There are books published almost monthly on the subject of design, theory, and each authoring tool.

Do you learn just by doing? That’s my style. I like taking things apart and putting them back together to learn how they work. Along the way I use books, online tutorials and read many blogs on the subject that offer new ideas or suggestions.

I realize it can be hard with all the information available, but start small. Perhaps short pages of content on a simple subject you already know: “How to make a Peanut Butter & Jelly Sandwich.” Of course the assumption here is you know how to make a PB&J.

Opinion on ID programs: The industry is at a point now where it almost demands ID programs include an introductory course(s) to elearning development tools and Learning Managment Systems.

Learning to eLearn is an ongoing learning process.